We’ve covered a lot of tough interview questions in past posts, and here we come at you with yet another round. Sometimes interviewers ask us questions that are more on the tricky side. It’s hard to know what to say – it often seems the best approach is to tell them what they want to hear, rather than the truth – and sometimes it’s just confusing why these questions are being asked in the first place. Here are a few examples:

What Are Your Hobbies?

Why is this question relevant to the job you’re applying for, and why would the interviewer care enough to ask this in a formal interview? Try to look at this question as a means for the interviewer to understand who you are a little better. If you’re hired, you’ll be absorbed into the company culture, so the company wants to get a more complete picture of you as an individual. Understanding what you do for fun can help the interviewer determine what your working style might be like. It can also help them determine how a job will fit into your life, given what you do outside of your work.

How Would Your Coworkers Describe You?

Do you even know the answer to this question? Could you really provide an accurate assessment of what others think? This question is more of a way for the interviewer to find out what qualities you most value about yourself, as you likely assume that these are the same traits that others appreciate. It also showcases how modest or overconfident you might be. Here you might take the chance to describe some positive interactions you’ve had with coworkers, citing instances where you have collaborated with them on projects. This will give you a way to back up your answer, as well as to imply that you are able to work well in a team.

Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?

This question is tricky because it’s hard to tell if you should speak about yourself in five years at that company – after all, you don’t want to appear presumptuous, but you also don’t want to seem disloyal. And what if where you want to be is in the seat of the person who is interviewing you? Instead of focusing on what specific position you see yourself in, try to think of things you want to have achieved. In what areas will you grow the most? What goals do you have for your career? After you’ve considered these questions, you can then turn your answer around and talk about ways in which you will be able to accomplish all of this at the company you are interviewing for, speaking about how your growth will be mutually beneficial for you and the corporation.

Some questions during the interview can seem like time wasters – and some are. But interviewers often have underlying points they’re trying to get at, even if it’s just to see how you’ll react to a specific question. Try to prepare for an interview as thoroughly as you can and keep an open mind when tackling tricky questions like these.